Final IDP Tiered Draft Rankings and Analysis

September 9, 2020

Chris Gregory's final update for his fantasy football IDP draft rankings and the 2020 NFL season, including his undervalued fantasy football IDP draft sleepers.

Welcome back for our last Individual Defensive Player (IDP) rankings analysis of the pre-season! With the season just around the corner, many of you are making the final tweaks to your roster or setting up for your final 2020 draft. Hopefully, these ranks and tiers will help you draft the right guy or avoid dropping the wrong one.

Note that while our RotoBaller ranks use only the defensive line (DL), linebacker (LB), and defensive back (DB) positions, our ranks do not assume that your league drafts on one particular website or uses one type of scoring.

If you are new to IDP, we do this because IDP scoring is highly customizable and is best when you and your league mates find what works best for you.

IDP Scoring

Because so many IDP leagues operate with different rules, scoring, and lineups, we try to accommodate you all in our rankings. If it helps, the following analysis does segregate IDP scoring into two general categories, which are as follows:

• Standard scoring- This is the most common format used in general IDP leagues. It is a format that awards 1-2 points for solo tackles, a ½ point for half-tackles, 3 points for sacks, 2 points for Tackles for Loss (TFL) & Passes Defended (PD), and 4-5 points for Interceptions (INT) & Forced Fumbles (FF).
• Big Play scoring- This format seeks to even out the scoring between LBs, DLs, and DBs by rewarding more points for big plays like sacks and INTs. They typically reward 1-2 points for tackles, 4-5 points for sacks, 2-4 points for TFLs and PDs, and 8+ points for turnovers.

Tier 1: One Defender Who Should Go Top-90

There is no change here. Darius Leonard is our unanimous top individual defender in fantasy, just like he was back in May. Last year, he scored 24+ points in standard-scoring leagues multiple times, and he matched several QBs in Big Play scoring leagues as well. He is the rare tackler who merits being the top-overall defender in both Big Play and standard IDP scoring, thanks to his high tackle floor and lovely ceiling in sacks, INTs, and PDs.
 

Tier 2: Defenders Worthy of Drafting Ahead of A WR4

The fantasy stock of Budda Baker and Landon Collins is elevated this year by the lack of depth at their position. With the season-ending injury of Derwin James, there aren't many DBs you can trust for consistent fantasy production in 2020. That is why you may have to reach for Baker and Collins earlier than you would like. They are two of the few DBs with a high ceiling in standard scoring and a high floor in Big Play scoring leagues.

Perhaps the most important thing to note about this tier, however, is how many DLs are rated ahead of LBs who will likely outscore them in standard scoring. We do this because the DL position is perilously thin on a majority of fantasy websites/apps.  You have an elite tier of four or five pass rushers who you can count on most weeks, and then you have a bunch of inconsistent guys with low floors. However, this dynamic changes drastically if you play on apps such as ESPN's, which gives 3-4 outside linebackers fantasy eligibility at the DL position. There, you have the option of drafting players like T.J. Watt, Chandler Jones, and Shaquil Barrett to start at your DL position, and so the DL position is suddenly much less thin. In those leagues, which are not the norm, you may see the value of some of these DLs drop a tiny bit.

Remember to check all defenders' position eligibility on the app/website you're using before you draft or make roster moves, so you know just how deep or thin the DL position is for you.
 

Tier 3: Mid-Round Defenders Who Can Win Their Position

When he was healthy last year, Jamal Adams was the top overall DB in most fantasy setups. He is still talented enough to be an elite DB for you this year, too. That is why Justin has Adams in his top-10 overall defenders. However, Adams falls in our overall ranks because his new job in Seattle may bear better real football fruits than it will fantasy stats. Remember that Kam Chancellor only topped 100 combined tackles in a season once and only two career sacks during eight seasons in Seattle, while Earl Thomas never notched a sack playing for Pete Carroll. Also, recall that much of Adams' fantasy value has come from sacks and tackles. Expect a slight dip in fantasy production for Adams this year, even if he is joining a better defense overall.

Another player that Justin has higher than the overall ranks do is Aaron Donald. Donald's stock should be exceptionally high in IDP leagues that force you to start a Defensive Tackle (DT) and in leagues that highly reward TFLs. In those leagues, feel free to draft Donald higher than several of the guys on this list. However, his low tackle totals and lack of PDs keep him below players like Hunter and Bosa in standard IDP leagues.

The final outlier in this tier is T.J. Watt. Two of our rankers have Watt outside of their top-35 players, while yours truly places him in the top-5. Why this discrepancy? Well, there are two reasons for it.

I have Watt so much higher than others do because he is eligible as a DL in ESPN leagues, where he should be the top overall DL selected. I also have him higher because he is an elite fantasy LB if you play in a Big Play scoring league. Watt’s elite and consistent FF, TFL, and sack production make him a top fantasy LB in that sort of scoring. However, if you play in a standard scoring league on an app where Watt is only LB eligible, feel free to rank him lower.
 

Tier 4: Big Name Bargains

Fred Warner is a bust candidate for many this year, which is reflected in some of our rankings. The low projections some have for him could be supported by the fact Warner is currently on the team’s Covid-19 list, too. However, Warner finished last year as the leader of an elite San Francisco defense and a top-seven LB in most fantasy formats. This summer, the camp reports were glowing for Warner too, as he added muscle and was showing more pop against the run game. When healthy, the 49ers' defensive leader shouldn't come off the field, and he shouldn't have trouble matching or even topping his fantasy production from last year.

Chandler Jones is another player who sees added value on ESPN and others that use 3-4 edges as DLs in fantasy. If you can use Jones at the DL spot, he should be a top-five player at his position thanks to his five straight years of double-digit sacks. He also holds extra value as an LB in Big Play scoring. However, just like with T.J. Watt, you can fade Jones if you play in standard-scoring leagues where Jones is only LB eligible.
 

Tier 5: Risks vs. Rewards

 In this tier, you will find several players of the boom or bust variety. Included in that category are Keanu Neal, Kwon Alexander, and Christian Kirksey. These players have been good, if not elite, fantasy starters in the past. Each of them also stands to inherit a fantasy-friendly role on their defense, with Kirksey inheriting a particularly attractive position from Blake Martinez in Green Bay.

Neal, Alexander, and Kirksey each carry injury and inconsistency risks, however. Alexander also carries the additional risk of losing playing time to the sure-tackling sophomore, Dre Greenlaw. Feel free to draft Alexander, Kirksey, and Neal in deeper leagues, but don’t reach for them based on name value or past production.

The safer players in this boom-or-bust tier are Cameron Heyward and Justin Simmons. Both Heyward and Simmons are steady performers who play valuable positions (DL and DB, respectively). Neither of these players has to worry about learning new schemes or playing on a poor defensive unit, and both are still relatively young. Expect Heyward to put up consistent tackle and sack numbers on a talented Pittsburgh defense. At the same time, Simmons will fly under the radar despite consistently having a relatively high fantasy floor the past two seasons.
 

Tiers 6-7: Depth and Dynasty Value Galore

For now, the fantasy LB position is so deep that you shouldn’t be drafting Isaiah Simmons, Patrick Queen, or Kenneth Murray as a starter in shallow redraft leagues (i.e., leagues that start less than 2 LBs per team). However, you should value them quite a bit in dynasty leagues or deeper setups.

Simmons has terrific long-term potential that could make him a top-10 overall fantasy defender someday, especially if Arizona ever uses him enough in the secondary to give him DB eligibility. Meanwhile, Murray is the best rookie LB prospect to draft in your standard-scoring leagues, and Queen has Fred Warner like potential that could make him an asset in any format.

Also worth noting are the two Ravens’ DBs in this tier. Look for Chuck Clark to provide sneaky DB production, and he is a terrific sleeper if you wait on DBs until late in your draft. Meanwhile, Humphrey is the top CB prospect for those who play in leagues that force you to start at least one CB. Despite his big-play skills, QBs continue to challenge Humphrey. He is a good source of PDs and tackles.
 

Tiers 8-9: Deep League Starters

Maxx Crosby had an excellent rookie season that saw him exceeding most expectations, but there are questions about whether he can keep it up long term. If he can produce this year as he did last, we will have to raise him in our ranks and recommend adding him even in shallow leagues.

If you play in leagues that require you to start a CB or a DT, Chris Jones and Carlton Davis are both VERY valuable players. Jones is arguably the second or third best fantasy DT this year, while Davis is an up-and-coming young corner who deflected 19 passes last year while notching 54 solo tackles. Expect Davis to continue to produce in CB mandated leagues, since he plays in a division full of pass-happy offenses that will target him regularly.
 

Tiers 10: Super Deep League Adds & Waiver Watch Players

Jeremy Chinn and Johnathan Abram each have the terrific pedigree of high draft picks, and they start at the back end of leaky defenses. Do not be surprised if Chinn in particular loads up on fantasy stats as a rookie because he is a big safety with cornerback experience and terrific speed.

Finally, some may question why Jadeveon Clowney is so low on this list. There is a good reason for his place here, though. Remember that he is just now joining a new team, with no training camp or pre-season prep in this unit. Also, recall that he has been historically inconsistent as a fantasy performer over the years, never once collecting double-digit sacks or 60+ tackles. While Clowney’s immense potential and flashes of brilliance still merit watching him on waivers or adding him in deep leagues, he doesn't belong on most fantasy rosters right now.

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